Monster sued over teen’s death ... again

It’s not the first suit of its kind and likely won’t be the last. A mother in California is suing Monster Beverage, manufacturer of the Monster energy drinks, over her son’s death.

Paula Morris says her son, who regularly drank Monster energy drinks, went into cardiac arrest last year. Alex Morris, 19, was pronounced dead when he arrived at the hospital.

In her lawsuit, Paula claims her son wouldn’t have died had he not consumed two Monster energy drinks every day during the two years leading up to his death.

"Our allegations in the lawsuits are the same and that's the peoples deaths were caused by these energy drinks and more specifically the defendant’s failure to warn about the dangers," Alexander Wheeler, the lawyer representing Paula, told the Associated Press.

Wheeler also represents the family of Anais Fournier, a 14-year-old girl who died in 2011 after drinking Monster drinks. Her parents sued Monster in 2012. Both parties claim Monster failed to disclose the exact amount of caffeine in its drinks and that the company has not tested its drinks to determine the effects their high caffeine content have on the cardiovascular system. The suit also says the company markets its drinks to teens and young consumers but fails to disclose the health dangers of its products to its customers—particularly those who have existing heart conditions.

Monster has fought the Fourniers’ suit, claiming there is no proof Anais died of “caffeine toxicity,” as her parents claim.